COUNCILLORS REFUSE PLANNING PERMISSION! Find out more here.
What's At Stake?
Building 800 houses at Horsham Golf and Fitness would see the 18-hole course dug up, destroying valuable green spaces and amenities in the iconic Denne Hill countryside.
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The proposal directly affects the environment, strains essential services, destroys a thriving golf course, compromises pedestrian, cyclist and traffic safety, and results in the loss of valuable amenities.
Wildlife & environment
Many species including bats, red kites, buzzards and larger mammals such as deer, badgers and stoats would be disrupted and displaced.
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Denne Hill is a significant area of ancient woodlands that have persisted since 1600. We can’t replace the complex biodiversity that has accumulated over hundreds of years.
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Denne Hill is a critical link for wildlife to St Leonard’s Forest and the 100-mile Weald to Waves nature recovery corridor.
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Golf, amenities & green space
Denne Hill is an important green space for Horsham residents. Ramblers, dog walkers and joggers enjoy the calm woodland paths; they don’t want to walk through a housing development.
The current Oaks 18-hole golf course would become housing and only short courses would remain. The Oaks has wide appeal because it is the most affordable, challenging and interesting course in the area.
Most golfers want to play 18 holes not nine. Current members will have no option other than to play elsewhere. At a time when more people are taking to golf, the choice of courses is dwindling.
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Find out how it will impact Horsham Golf club, specifically.
Safety & strain on services
Local infrastructure and services are already buckling. GP surgeries are struggling to meet demand and some have closed their lists. Pharmacies are struggling to cope, and the closure of the in-house pharmacy at Sainsbury exacerbates the strain.
No local dentists are taking on NHS patients. Local schools are full.
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The Worthing Road between the A24 and the railway line is already hazardous for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Increased traffic would make this worse. The alternative pedestrian and cycling routes proposed by the developers are not realistic.
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Denne Hill is an important catchment area of water to the River Arun, a vital source of drinking water which sustains multiple ecosystems. There is no convincing substantiation to the claim that the development would be water neutral.
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